


I’m Telling Grandpa

by Casey_Wolfe



Category: Generation Kill
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Kiss, Friendship (minor), Humor, M/M, No they’re not related by blood, Not Incest, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 04:36:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10801842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casey_Wolfe/pseuds/Casey_Wolfe
Summary: It probably said something about their relationship when Brad’s reaction to Nate’s stunt was threatening to call their Grandpa Speirs.





	I’m Telling Grandpa

**Author's Note:**

> Suspension of disbelief, obviously, since I’m fucking with everyone’s family trees. This all came about because of that post comparing Ron’s charge across Foy with Nate’s dodging fire at the bridge assault turned ambush.

Ronald Speirs, arguably the baddest motherfucker in the whole 101st Airborne, went through multiple wives, which meant a whole gaggle of grandkids.  Brad was one of the group that spent any sort of time with Ron though.  It didn’t matter that Brad was adopted into the family.  Ron treated him no different to, say, Nate, who was the son of Ron’s first son - a pretty honored spot if Brad’s opinion counted for anything.

Nate came from the “English side” of the family.  Ron’s first wife, the one he married during the war, had made a huge impression on him.  He had always taken care of their son, even after the divorce, and made it a point to be apart of his life.  So, of course, Ron was apart of Nate and his sisters’ lives in the same way.

Brad, on the other hand, belonged to Ron’s latest family.  Grandma already had some kids when they met, but Ron had treated them as his very own.  When Brad’s parents adopted him, apparently Ron had taken to him like a fish to water.  There were plenty of pictures floating around of Brad as a baby in Ron’s arms to prove it.

A vast extended family meant reunions.  Honestly, it was rare for any of the “in between” family to be around.  For the most part, it was Ron’s current family, and the English side.  Of course, Nate and his siblings were American, but the name stuck.

Brad had probably seen Nate every summer growing up, as the Fick’s would come out to their neck of the woods.  Brad and Nate, in particular, stuck close to Ron.  They were both in awe of him, and he never seemed to mind.

As teenagers, Ron took them out into the woods and taught them to survive.  Brad would snuggle up against Nate in their shared tent, chasing away the chill of the night.  Admittedly, Brad liked waking up with Nate’s arms around him just a little too much.

Summers turned to holiday visits.  Those turned to joining Ron at the Easy Company reunions - once Nate begged enough to go, as Ron hadn’t been to one in decades.  There, they met Dick Winters and all the other men they had heard so many stories about.  Ron found it amusing how they hung on every word of Dick’s, but it wasn’t as though they could help it - Dick was a magnet.

Having grown up with stories of valor and war, it wasn’t really a surprise to anyone when Brad joined the Marine Corps.  When he made it into recon, Ron was so proud.

Perhaps that was why Brad was so shocked to look across the desk of his new CO and see _Nate_ sitting there.  Shouldn’t someone in the family have told him that Nate joined the Corps?  Or had gone through OCS and made recon?

“What the hell are you doing here?” Brad demanded.

Nate grinned up at him.  “Reassigned from Afghanistan.”

“You were in-?  Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?” Brad growled, slamming his hands onto the desk.

Nate lifted a shoulder, looking away.

“ _Nate_.”

“Because I knew you’d be pissed about it.”

“Damn right I am.  What are you doing here?  You’re supposed to be at Dartmouth.”

Nate had that stubborn look on his face.  “I couldn’t sit by and do nothing.  I wanted to help.”

Brad scoffed, straightening.  Ever the idealist.  “You’re an idiot,” Brad decided.

Nate let out a startled laugh.  “Maybe…  But I’m here now.  And I’m also your new CO.”

Brad frowned.  “Not that I’m not happy to see you…”

Nate stood, coming from around the desk to stand in front of Brad.  “I’m glad you’re here.  Honestly, when I saw your name on the sheet, I…”  Nate’s eyes danced away, biting his lip.

Brad’s fingers twitched, wanting to reach out and touch.  But they were already threatening to cross so many lines.  He wasn’t sure they could do this.

“I want you as my team leader,” Nate continued, expression slipping into something Brad hadn’t seen before.  Clearly, Nate had grown a lot in OCS.  He was a leader now, had seen combat, and he acted the part.  “You have the experience and I trust your judgement.”

“All due respect, sir,” Brad somehow managed to keep the tease out of his voice, “but are you sure either of us can really remain objective?”

“I think we can manage.”  Nate’s features softened.  “Out there, it’s business.  Here, it’s just us, Brad.”

Brad nodded.  “Well, in that case, I may have to take advantage of having connections.”

Nate laughed, giving him a shove.  He sat on his desk, Brad settling in the chair across from him, their legs pressed together in familiar comfort.  They spent the rest of the afternoon catching up, getting absolutely nothing else done.

* * *

Once again, Nate found himself seeking Brad out.  Had Brad not been his team leader, it would have looked suspicious.  As it was, it just looked like a smart officer, conferring with his men.

It was hard not to look for Brad though, to go to him when he wanted another opinion.  He trusted Brad’s experience, of course, but the bond they shared was more influencing.  No one else knew about their connection, and Nate tried not to show preferential treatment, but he didn’t believe he was always successful.

“Going to find Brad again?” Mike asked when Nate slipped out of their truck.

“Yes, _Mom_ , I’ll be back before curfew.”

Mike’s laughter followed him.

Brad was in his humvee, looking at the Blue Force Tracker screen.  It was illuminating his features in the dark and Nate’s lips twitched up in greeting when Brad looked over at him.  “Seeing if we’re likely to get shwacked by doctors again?”

Brad smiled, shaking his head as he looked away.  “I think we’re safe from rogue doctors who couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn in the first place.”

Nate smirked.

“Are we moving out soon, sir?”

“Probably in the morning, it looks like.”  Nate reached into his vest and pulled out a Hershey bar - one of many things he’d stashed.  “Shouldn’t be too melted.”  Brad’s grin was worth it.

Nate noticed quickly that Brad didn’t smile like he did back home.  Brad was much more closed off, guarded, which explained the nickname, Iceman.  But Nate knew how nice that smile could be, how fun Brad could be.

“Take it easy, Brad.  Try to get some sleep.”

“You first.”  Brad reached out, grabbing his wrist when he tried to back away.  “You’re doin’ good, Nate.  Don’t let anyone tell you different.”

Nate gave him a grateful nod.  After everything that had been going on, it was good to hear.  “Thanks.”

He tried to ignore the fact Brad’s fingers rubbed the inside of his wrist before letting go.

* * *

The bridge had been blocked.  They’d been ambushed.  Brad didn’t feel the same rush of energy he got from making it through a firefight.  Instead, he felt numb.  There was ice in his veins.

The humvee halted and he mentioned something to Ray about checking the tires before getting out.  He had to get out.  He couldn’t stay in that death trap another second.

His eyes passed over his men, taking in their same state of shock.  Pappy was hurt, Doc already fixing him up, but Brad heard something about a casevac.  Brad kept walking in a daze.

When his eyes landed on Nate, the adrenaline dumped again, this time causing Brad to erupt with anger.  “What the fuck was that?!” he yelled, striding over to Nate.  He grabbed Nate by the vest, shoving him roughly against the truck.  “What the hell were you thinking?!”

Nate had been surprised at first, but now he was glaring up at Brad.  “I was thinking I was unfucking the situation.”

“Sergeant, stand down,” Wynn ordered, grabbing his arm.  Brad shrugged him off.

“Unfucking the situation?  You could have been fucking killed!”

“If I didn’t do anything then we all could have been!”

“Brad!”  Poke was there now too, trying to separate them.

“You don’t take risks like that!” Brad shouted, clawing at Nate as he was tugged away.

“It’s my job!”

There were two people on Brad now, pulling him away, Mike working to hold Nate back.  “Fuck that!” Brad spat, shoving his men off - Poke had gotten backup from Lovell.

“It’s not your call, Brad!”

“Yeah?  Well, I’m calling Grandpa!”

Nate stopped struggling, eyes going wide.  “You wouldn’t.”

“I fucking would.”  Brad glared.

The men around them paused, and it was Poke that asked, “What the fuck?”

Nate jut out his jaw in defiance.  “You’re a fucking tattletale,” he said matter-of-factly.  “You always were.”

“Fuck you, pretty boy.  That was your job.”

Nate lashed out, kicking him in the shin.  Even expecting it, Brad still hissed in pain.  “Jackass,” Nate threw in before stomping off.

Wynn was looking between Nate’s retreating form and Brad.  “Would someone like to tell me what the hell is going on around here?”

“Ask Nate,” Brad muttered, hobbling off to his humvee.

* * *

Nate felt like such an ass.  Mike had followed him, worming the full story out of him.  He shouldn’t have acted like that to Brad.  And he sure as hell shouldn’t have done it in front of the men.  Saying “Brad started it” would just have been all the more childish.

“Not like the guys will hold it against you,” Mike mentioned.

“Not the point.”

Mike shrugged it off.  “You do need to go apologize though.”

Nate scoffed.

“Nate.”

“You’re such a fucking nag,” Nate muttered, but he was already walking.

He found Brad leaning up against his humvee, talking to Kocher.  “Brad,” he jerked his head to the side, “can I talk to you?”

They went behind Nate’s truck - the closest to privacy they would get - and didn’t bother beating around the bush.  “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have kicked you.”

Brad had been glaring but he deflated.  “I’m sorry too.  Shouldn’t have exploded like that.”

Nate’s lips twitched.  “You always did have a temper.”

Brad almost smiled.  “You’re one to talk.  Scrappy little asshole.”

Nate actually chuckled, shaking his head.  They had had their share of fights over the years, plenty of which had turned physical.  Ron had given them a stern lecture about it though after they actually got hurt, and the fights turned verbal instead.  Not that Ron really approved of the change, but he let them work it out on their own - usually.  Age had helped smooth things over from their hot-headed teen days.

“You’re not really gonna tell Grandpa about that, are you?” Nate checked.

“Nate.”  Brad sighed, stepping closer.  “That was stupid.”

“If there were another way to unfuck the situation…”

Brad wrapped him in a hug, cheeks pressed together.  “I don’t wanna see you get hurt.”

Nate pulled him closer, fingers hooking onto the back of Brad’s vest.  “How do you think I feel, huh?  You were right in the middle of all that.  Stuck.  Nowhere to go.  I had to get you out.”

With a huff, Brad squeezed him tight.  “I can’t lose you,” he murmured.

Nate felt hot tears prick his eyes, turning his face into Brad’s neck.  “I love you.”  The confession fell from his lips.  It was out there now - no taking it back.

There was a long moment of silence, where Nate could feel his heart beating against his ribcage.  Then, “I love you too, Nate.”

Nate breathed, his hold softening.  He didn’t have to ask, and neither did Brad.  They both understood full well that it wasn’t the love of family they spoke of.  Never once had they said those words - at least for Nate, that was because he had known he loved Brad in an entirely different manner since they both hit puberty.

Brad’s hand caressed his face gently, maneuver Nate to look in his eyes.  “Please don’t do something like that again.”

Nate frowned.  “I can’t make promises like that.  Not out here.”

Brad nodded knowingly.

“But I’ll be as smart and as careful as I can.”

That seemed to satisfy Brad.  “Alright,” he murmured.  Then he leaned in and kissed Nate’s mouth.

In all the years he imagined this, he had never expected their first kiss would be this way.  A gentle slide of lips, testing and warm, was a far cry from the expected heat with edge of violence.  Though, Nate suspected Brad could deliver should he ask for it.

Nate walked them back a few steps, Brad’s back hitting the side of the truck.  “Nate,” he warned, even when it was Brad that kept kissing him.  Nate’s fingers came up to comb through Brad’s hair - slightly disappointed there was nothing to grab - while his other hand rested on Brad’s hip.

Brad’s hands were wandering themselves, ending up grabbing Nate’s ass and pressing their bodies even closer.  It was Nate’s turn to scold, hissing Brad’s name.

“You started this.”

Nate snorted.  He leaned in to steal one last kiss before forcing himself to step away.  “We can’t let ourselves get distracted.  Not out here.”  Despite his words, Nate knew that would be hard to come by.  He had already allowed it to happen.

Brad agreed, though the look on his face conveyed the same doubt.

“We should be getting ready to try the bridge again.”  The LAV’s were supposed to be clearing out the remaining ambushers for them.

“Copy that, sir.”  They stood there, looking at each other for what seemed like minutes before Brad was the one to finally move.  Before he left, though, he took Nate’s chin, guiding their lips together again.  “Stay safe.”

“You too.”

Nate watched him walk off, knowing they were going to have a long conversation after this war was over.

It turned out, once they returned home from duty, that Brad did indeed tell Ron all about that night at the bridge.  Nate had chased him around the entire house, threatening to kill him.  The only thing saving Brad was Ron’s support of Nate’s actions.  Nate stuck out his tongue at Brad and Brad rolled his eyes.

Some things didn’t change.

/End

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [Tumblr](http://thedenofcaseywolfe.tumblr.com/).


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